Sudan: Woman, 20, jailed for kissing man

A 20-year-old Sudanese woman will spend six months in jail for kissing a man.

The woman had been charged with adultery and initially sentenced to death by stoning. The sentence sparked an international outcry, with the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) describing the sentence as a "grave violation of international law".

A court in White Nile state court re-heard the case. The presiding judge altered the charge from "adultery" to "obscene act", which came as a relief for the young woman from Kosti city.  

The BBC reports that her lawyer, Intisar Abdullah, was convinced the presiding judge "didn't have many options but to convict her".

"The thing is she confessed at the court that she was with a man, she is very young and she doesn't know the complications of the case," the lawyer said. 

The woman had been out of jail on bail but has now been incarcerated.

Sudan still imposes the death penalty for offences such as adultery and theft. In Sudanese law, similar crimes against religion carry penalties such as flogging, amputation of hands and feet, hanging and stoning.

Sudan has been run by a military junta since a coup in 2021.